GB2391421A

GB2391421A - Establishing Point to Point or Point to Multiple points internet connection(s)

Info

Publication number: GB2391421A
Application number: GB0316503A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Heng-Chien Chen; Jui-Liang Weng
Original assignee: Transpace Tech Co Ltd
Current assignee: Transpace Tech Co Ltd
Priority date: 2002-07-30
Filing date: 2003-07-15
Publication date: 2004-02-04
Anticipated expiration: 2023-07-15
Also published as: JP2004096726A; GB2391421B; GB0316503D0; US20040054781A1; FR2843265A1; DE10331621A1

Abstract

A network user (A) obtains a temporary Internet protocol (IP) address from an Internet service provider (ISP) and sends a search request to an IP server (X) to find IP addresses of other network users. The IP server sends the source user's IP address to each destination network user, and an establishing connection protocol establishes a point-to-point (P2P) Internet connection. The IP server provides and maintains a database for network users to register their present IP address and search for the IP addresses of other users. The establishing connection protocol is a handshake connection process e.g. Ethernet triple handshake process using transmission control protocol (TCP)/IP, and the established Internet connection may be either P2P or point-to-multiple point (P2MP).

Description

METHOD FOR ESTABLISHING POINT TO POINT OR POINT TO

MULTIPLE POINTS INTERNTET CONNECTION(S)

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for establishing point to point (P2P) connections or point to multiple points (P2MP) connections on the Internet, more specifically to a method that provides a point to point (P2P) connection or point to multiple points (P2MP) connections on the Interpret easily and quickly or establishing said connections without communicating with the senders that support the hornepages and websites.

2. Description of Related Art

Internet is composed of many metropolis area networks (MAN) and many local area networks (LAN). The Ethernet is the main type of LAN interface that is implemented using the TCP/IP protocol. Each net device such as a personal computer, PDA, etc. connected to the Internet sends or receives data with an IP address to or from other net devices. In other words, an IP address is required to transmit data in an Ethernet network.

Users can use different connection devices to connect to the Intemet, such as telephone dine modems, T1, ADSL, wireless modems, cable moderns, etc. Before a user uses any device to transmit data on the Internet, an IP address must first be obtained from an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In general, Ethernet devices are classified in one of to o types based on transmitting speed and fees. One type includes fixed IP address devices, arid the other ty pe includes dynamic IP address devices.

A user \N-ith a fixed IP address deN ice does not have to obtain the IP

address from the ISP first. Data transmitted on the Internet is transmitted in data packages, and the data on the Internet from a user with a fined 1P address device has the fixed IP address. That is, the user's net device connected to the Internet uses the fixed IP address each time data is transmitted. Therefore, the data packages from one LAN to a distant LAN may pass through many LANs, and the individual data packages may arrive at the destination user's net device at different times. A sending user's net device has a fixed address included in the data packages so if the destination user wants to respond tO the sending user, the destination user's net device uses the fixed address in the received data packages to send a response back to the sending user's net device so the response will not lost on the Intemet.

With reference to Fig. 5, before the dynamic IP address user A every time uses a net device connected to the Internet, the user A first get a temporary IP address from the Intenet Services Provider (ISP). Each time user A uses the net device to connect to the Internet, an IP address request is sent to a server (not shown) at the ISP. When the ISP receives the request, a temporary IP address is sent back to user A. User A uses the IP address and sends a message transmission request to the ISP. and the ISP transmits the message to a destination website.

The ISP foreyards the message to the destination u ebsite and establishes a virtual con-nectio1 Beth een the No ebsie and user A. Some services are set up in the website so the user A and user B can communicate with each other offer the Internet. For example. the NN;ebsite may have a chat room or net-meeting service to pros ide the means for user A and user B to communicate together. Most nets ork users do not do point to point communicates to others. Even if a user has

P2P OT P2MP connection capability, the temporary IP user cannot successfully establish a connection. The original user has to change to a temporary IP because the temporary IP user cannot use a fixed IP on the Interpret. Therefore, a temporary IP user may send a message to distant user to establish a connection, but a response from the distant user sent to the original user cannot be received by the original user.

Although network users can communicate point to point by means of ICQ techniques, ICQ techniques us a unique broadcast protocol to search and establish links between ICQ users. However, as the number of ICQ users increases, the Internet becomes congested with the ICQ packages, which reduces the ax ailable frequency bandwidth on the Interpret. Therefore, the ICQ is not suitable for a large number of point to point or point to multiple point communication links on the Internct.

Therefore, the present invention provides a means of establishing P2P or P2MP connection on the Internet that can be easily set up any place to mitigate or obviate the aforementioned problems.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a method for establishing Intemet connections. The method provides the means for network users, e specially temporary IP users, to quickly and successful!! establish P2P or P2MP connections on the intemet.

Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the nvention eve]] become more apparent from the following detailed description hen taken in

conjunction vat ith the accompanying drawings.

In the drains

Fig. 1 is an Internet connection diagram of a first embodiment of a method to establish Internet connections in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 2 is a timing diagram for the method in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an Intenet connection diagram of a second embodiment of a method of establishing Internet connections in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is a timing diagram for the method in Fig.3; and Fig. 5 is an Internet connection diagram of the conventional method of establishing Internet connections.

Before a network user attempts to link to the Internet with his or her network device, the network users must first obtain an IP address. With an IP address, an establishing connection protocol is used to link to the Internet. The method for establishing point to point (P2P) or point to multiple points (P2MP) Internet connections in accordance with the present invention provides the means for users to quickly and successfully establish P2P or P2MP connections on the Internet.

At least one IP server collects IP addresses to support the method.

Having multiple network users directly link to the IP server to register and provide the nenber information including the present IP addresses is a preferable means of collecting IP addresses. The functions perfonned by the IP server include: pros icing an entrance to a database for nets\ ork users to register member information including their present IP addresses;

s maintaining the IP address database for registered network users: and providing a database search capability for member users to locate a particular member user's IP address or the IP addresses for a number of member users. That is, \x hen the IP server receives a search request from a member use, the search function is executed to find the desired IP address.

The method for establishing a P2P connection or P2MP Internet connections comprises the steps of (1) linking to the IP server, (2) searching for one IP address or multiple IP addresses, (3) obtaining one IP address or multiple IP addresses' and (4) establishing connections beheen or among users by executing the establishing connection protocol.

The linking to the IP server step is the first step for quickly establishing an Internet connection. The IP server has the IP searching function so the member user can ask the IP server to find another member user's IP address.

When the user obtains the other member user's IP address, the user can immediately establish a P2P connection With the other member user by executing the establishing connection protocol step, such as the Ethemet triple handshake process using the TCPIIP protocol. Therefore, the user does not use a broadcast protocol to search for the user as s done in the ICQ technique.

Further, the searching for one IP address or multiple IP address(s) step further includes an identify member process to identify whether the user's identity matches the member's information. If the identity matches, the IP server can execute the next step.

With referenc e to Figs. 1 and 2, a first embodiment of the forgoing method is used to establish quickly and successfully Internet connections between or among network users. In the first embodiment of the method, user A, user B and user C must have registered previously \vith the IP server X as member users. If user A NN ants to establish a P2P connection with user C, user A first links to the IP server X to send an IP address search request message. When the IP server X receiN es the search request message, the search function is executed to find user A's IP address. The IP server X sends user A's IP address to user C. User C deci des whether or not to respond to user A's request. If user C allows user A to establish a P2P connection, the connection process is executed between user A and user C. Therefore, the IP server X provides member's IP address searching service.

With referenc e to Figs. 3 and 4, a second preferred embodiment of the present method is similar to the first embodiment. However, when the IP server X finds user C's IP address, the IP server X directly sends user C's IP address to user A. Therefore, the IP server X further has a controlhng IP address sending function. Therefore, after user A obtains user C's IP address, user A can immediately sends an establishing P2P connection request message to user C. The connection request message is foraged in IP packages svith user A's IP address and user C's IP address. Therefore the IP packages can be successfully sent to the user C. When user C receiN es all the IP packages from user A, user C obtains user A's IP address to complete establishing the P2P connection to communicate NN'ith user A. The first and the second embodiments are examples c f a P2P connection.

However, the method for establishing a P2MP connection is the same as the method for the P2P connection, only the IP server X has to search for multiple users' IP addresses after receiving the search request message.

Based on the description, the method for establishing P2P or P2MP

connections can provide network users with a quick means of searching for an IP address or addresses to establish a connection with the IP address owner or owners. Therefore, the nets ork user with a temporary IP address from the ISP can easily search for the other user's IP address. Once the connection is established, the temporary IP user still can communicate with the other user even hen the temporary IP address is changed by the ISP during the communication.

Therefore, no matter what kind of IP addresses the users use, the method provides the users quick and successful the Internet connection without having to go through servers suppor1ed homepage and website.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention haN'e been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the

invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail,

especially in matters of shape, size' and arrangement of parts within the principles of the ins ention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the teens in vat hich the appended claims are expressed.

Claims

Clai ms:

1. A method for establishing point to point (P2P) or point to multiple points (P2MP) Internet connections' comprising: (1) linking to an IP sender which collects multiple network users' information including IP addresses and the network users data; (2) searching for one IP address or multiple IP addresses in the IP server, vherein one source network user sends an IP search request message, which includes destination network user's or users' information without his/her or their IP address or addresses, to the IP server to find the destination network users IP address or users' IP addresses; (3) obtaining one IP address or multiple IP addresses from the IP server, wherein the IP server sends the source user's IP address to each destination network user; and (4) establishing the P2P or P2MP Internet connection(s) by an establishing connection protocol, wherein each destination network user obtains the source user's IP address to execute the establishing connection protocol to establish a connection with the source network user.

2. The method as claimed in claim I, wherein functions perfonned by the IP server comprise: providing an entrance to a database for network users to register member information including their o\N'n present IP addresses.

maintaining the IP address database for registered network users; and providing a database search capability for the netN;ok users to locate a particular member user s IP address or the IP addresses of a number Of member

users.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises an identify member process in the obtaining one IP address or multiple IP addresses step to identify whether the user's identity matches the member's information.

4 The method as claimed in claim 1. where the network user uses a temporary IP address.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, where the establishing connection protocol i s a handshake connection process.

6 A method for establishing point to point (P2P) or point to multiple points (P2MP) Intenet connection, comprising: (1) linking to an IP server that has collected multiple network users' information including IP addresses and the network users own data; (2) searching for one IP address or multiple IP addresses in the IP server, wherein a source network user sends an IP search request message, which includes destination network user's or users' information without his/her IP address or their IP addresses, to the IP server to find the destination network user's IP address or the destination network users' IP addresses; (3) obtaining one IP address or multiple IP addresses frond the IP server, wherein the IP settler sends the destination nets ork user's or users 7 IP addressees) founded from the above step to the source network user who sends the IP search request message; and (4) establishing the P2P or P2MP Internet connection(s) by an establishing connection protocol, wherein the source network user obtains the IP address(es) to execute the estalhshing connection protocol to establish

connection(s) with each destination network user(s).

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the functions performed by IP server comprise: providing an entrance to a database for network users to register member infonnation including their own present IP addresses; maintaining the IP address database for registered network users; and providing a database search capability for the network users to locate a particular member user's IP address or the IP addresses of a number of November users.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprises an identify member process in the obtaining one IP address or multiple IP addresses step to identify whether the user's identity matches the member's information.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, where the network user uses a temporary IP address.

1 O. The method as claimed in claim 9, where the establishing connection protocol is handshake connection process.